Packaging



Jan. 5, 1943. T. WRNCHELL PACKAGING Filed Jan, 8, 1940 Patented Jan. 5, 1943 UNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE PACKAGING Thomas R. Winchell, Harpswe'll, Maine Application January 8, 1940, Serial No. 312,797

' (c1. 2os 59) 2 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to the packaging of articles such as relatively long rolls of material, as, for example, carpets, linoleums, or the like, and particularly where thewrapping is primarily sheet material such as plywood, fiberboard, or the like, and in which the length of the package is substantially greater than commercial dimensions of sheet material. More than one such sheet is then necessary to afford a wrapper of sufiicient size to be rolled up around the goods.

One of the objects of this invention is to so connect these sheets together that they may be rolled up easily about the goods and yet in which the goods are protected from dirt when packaged and wherein the wrapper presents a smooth surface to the goods which cannot mark or otherwise injure them.

A further object is to provide such a wrapper which may be readily removed from the goods when desired and without injury thereto.

Still another object is to provide a wrapper which can be made up cheaply and quickly from standard commercial sheets of the sheet material.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the wrapper prepared to wrap the goods.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the wrapper supported in a cradle and ready to receive the goods to be wrapped.

Figure 4 is a view similar to a portion of Figure 3, but showing the package more completely formed and with an end closure for the wrapper in position.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the completed package.

Figure 6 is an end elevation of the same partly broken away and to a larger scale.

Figure 7 is a side elevation of the package partly open for removal of the goods.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, at l are illustrated two pieces of sheet material such as plywood arranged with their edges in butting relation. Extending transverse to these sheet material pieces I are the tie bar 2 and one or more bars 3. The tie bar 2 is arranged along one end of each of the strips l and the tie bar 3 is arranged intermediate to the ends of these strips. These bars are secured to the sheet material pieces by any suitable means such as nails or staples at 4 and may constitute the sole means for attaching the sheet material pieces together.

The wrapper thus formed may be placed within a cradle ill (see Figure 3) ,this cradle being pro vided with spaced partitions ll cutout to form notches l2 defining a trough-like structure within which the sheet material wrapper of Figures 1 and 2 may be laid and caused to roughly conform to the inner faces thereof.

The article or material to be packaged may then be laid in the wrapper which is then of subformed, if desired, to suit the requirements of the article or material to be packaged.

Preferably the free ends l8 of the pieces I are beveled so that the opposite ends which are secured to the bar 2 may be extended smoothly thereover as shown in Figures 4 and 6, and so that in the completed package no sharp edges at the ends 18 may be presented to the goods wrapped, since such edges might mark or otherwise damage the goods packaged. The ends of the wrapper thus being brought together are properly secured by any suitable means, as, for example, by binder straps 20 which may well be of metal. These pass around the circumference of the package, and as shown best in Figure 5, they are preferably inserted through grooves 2| or end slots 22 of the lengthwise extending members 2 and 3. The strap or straps intermediate to the ends of the package are arranged to bridge over the adjacent butting edges of the pieces I, thus to provide against the ready entry of moisture or foreign matter between the pieces I and into contact with the goods wrapped, and, if desired, sealing tape, of paper, or the like, as shown at 23 in Figure 3 may be employed to seal off any cracks. Straps about the end portions of the package reinforce these ends and tend to protect the sheet material from damage in handling or transportation. The resultant package is thus of generally cylindrical form enclosing the goods or material wrapped.

When it is desired to get at the material within the package, it is only necessary to sever the bars 2 and 3 at or adjacent to an intermediate strap 20, this action releasing the sheet material pieces I from each other and dividing the wrapper of the package into a plurality of tubular sections such as 25 (see Figure '7) which may be separated and removed from the material wrapped without difiiculty. Where a sealing tape bridges the joint between the wrapper pieces, this may be readily cut or torn away, the bars 2 and 3 constituting at least substantially the sole bond between these wrapper pieces. Not only do the bars 2 and 3 serve to effectively join the adjacent pieces of sheet material, but they also substantially strengthen the package lengthwise and are better adapted to take the weight of the material than is the sheet material portion of the wrapper. One or more of these bars may, for example, be employed as a skid to facilitate handling of the packaged goods.

From the foregoing description of an embodiment of the invention, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

7 I claim:

1. A package which comprises a plurality of pieces of sheet material arranged edge to edge and rolled up about the packaged material transverse to said edges, heads secured to the ends of said package, bars extending longitudinally on the outer face of said package and secured to said pieces, and tying straps passed around said package and overlying the adjacent edges of said pieces, said bars constituting at least substantially the sole connection between said pieces, whereby on severing said bars adjacent to said edges the package wrapper is separated into a plurality of disconnected tubular parts.

2. A package which comprises a plurality of sheet material pieces arranged edge to edge and rolled up about the packaged material transverse to said edges, heads secured to the ends of said package, bars extending longitudinally on the outer face of saidcpackage and secured to said pieces, said bars having notches adjacent to the mating edges of adjacent pieces, and a strap extending around the package and through said notches and overlying each pair of said adjacent edges and securing said pieces in rolled condition.

THOMAS E. WINCI-IELL. 

